State Unemployment Rates Post Little Change in April

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today released its data on state and regional unemployment for April. Compared with March data, unemployment rates fell in 40 states and the District of Columbia, while 3 states posted higher unemployment rates and 7 were unchanged.

Compared with April 2012, the data is slightly worse. In that month, 43 states and the District of Columbia showed a drop in unemployment rates and 7 states posted gains. The good news is that the national unemployment rate has fallen from 8.1% in April 2012 to 7.5% this past April.

Month-over-month job gains were highest in Texas, which added 33,100 jobs in April. New York added 25,300 jobs in April and Florida added 17,000. The largest job losses compared with March data occurred in Wisconsin, which lost 24,000 jobs, and Minnesota, down 11,000 jobs.

Year-over-year, the largest percentage rises in employment occurred in North Dakota (3.7%) and Utah (3.5%). The largest percentage rises in unemployment came in Wyoming (0.5%) and Maine (0.3%). Over the last 12 months, 47 states and the District of Columbia have added jobs, while job losses have piled up in just 3 states.

Nevada had the highest unemployment rate among the states in April (9.6%). The next highest rates were in Illinois (9.3%), Mississippi (9%), and California (9%). North Dakota continues to lead the country with an unemployment rate of just 3.3%.